The Williamsburg-James City County School Board on Tuesday is considering buying 10 new school buses for the next school year.
Ten school buses, part of a school bus replacement system developed by the county, would cost $1.5 million.
Most of the funds would come from the fiscal year 2025 Capital Improvement Projects section of the school system’s budget.
Board Chair Sarah Ortego questioned the purchase, considering the current school bus driver shortage and the large number of buses the system already has.
“Years ago, the division adopted a smoothing replacement plan,” said Rene Ewing, chief financial officer for the district. “The recommendation … is to replace the buses once they reach 15 years of age or over 250,000 miles, and we currently have 26 that are at that 15-age mark, so we annually replace 10 buses just to keep the fleet up.”
There a number of buses in the fleet of 160 set aside to be used as spares or for parts in case of unusual circumstances, according to county staff.
Board member Randy Riffle clarified that the vehicles would all be gas powered, not electric.
Also Tuesday, the school board reviewed tuition rates for non-resident students. The proposed regular education tuition rate for the 2024-25 school year is $13,667, and the proposed special education tuition is $23,239. The regular tuition rate would increase by $689, or 5.31%, and the special education tuition rate would increase by $637, or 2.82%, compared to last school year.
The school bus purchase request and tuition rate reviews are part of the annual process aimed at keeping the school system fully operational. The board will vote on the items at its next meeting.
Sam Schaffer, samuel.schaffer@virginiamedia.com
![If it were not for the efforts of a William & Mary president in the 1960s there would not have been a marine science program to benefit from the school’s recent largest financial gift. Davis Y. Paschall, president 1960-1971, was instrumental in the development of the substantial academic programs of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) at nearby Gloucester Point on the York River, The Virginia Fisheries Laboratory was established in 1940 as the Virginia Fisheries Laboratory as a joint effort between W&M and the Virginia Commission on Fisheries (now the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. It was initially organized […]](https://www.pilotonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/6SCYSOUXX5GSHC7UWSYZ2RSEAU.jpg?w=408 "If it were not for the efforts of a William & Mary president in the 1960s there would not have been a marine science program to benefit from the school’s recent largest financial gift. Davis Y. Paschall, president 1960-1971, was instrumental in the development of the substantial academic programs of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) at nearby Gloucester Point on the York River, The Virginia Fisheries Laboratory was established in 1940 as the Virginia Fisheries Laboratory as a joint effort between W&M and the Virginia Commission on Fisheries (now the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. It was initially organized […]")
